Microstructural sensitivity of 316H austenitic stainless steel: Residual stress relaxation and grain boundary fracture

The present work considers the role of thermo-mechanical history on the generation and relaxation of residual stresses, typical of those encountered in Type 316H austenitic stainless steel thick section weldments. A series of thermo-mechanical pre-treatments have been developed and applied to simulate the critical microstructures observed within the heat affected zone of the thick section parent material. The through thickness distributions of the residual macro-stresses in cylindrical specimens have been measured by neutron diffraction and then the rates of the relaxation are shown to be a function of microstructure. The susceptibility to intergranular brittle fracture at a temperature of −196 °C is shown to be a function of M23C6 carbide precipitates and phosphorous segregation at the grain boundaries. Finally, the link of the present study to the understanding of the reheat cracking is briefly discussed.